We first encounter Fred Warhurst on March 17 in the Glossop Chronicle, which reported his objection to participating in the military at the Military Service Tribunal.

Fred Warhurst was a 29-year-old cotton piecer when he claimed absolute exemption from military service, saying he had "a conscientious objection to the taking of life and also objected to taking the King's oath, as when he had done so, the military could place him where they thought fit." He belonged to the International Bible Students Association, whose headquarters were in London, and believed in the Biblical teaching that he should 'not commit murder'.

The Chronicle report continued:
Mr. Waterhouse: If you know your Bible, you will admit that in it, the wanderings of the Israelites are a record of continual fighting!-Yes, I agree, but at that particular time, the Jewish nation was the favoured nation of the earth.

A long dissertation upon Biblical struggles came from Mr. Waterhouse, but the applicant stolidly held on to the statement that he objected to taking human life and would not do so
on any pretext whatever.

Mr. Malkin: How long have you been a member of the International Bible Students' Association? About nine months. I object to military service because of my religious views that I object to military service.
The application was refused. An appeal form was given to the claimant at his request.
Glossop-Dale Chronicle 17 March 1916

As Fred was a member of the International Bible Student Association, it is unsurprising that he gave the tribunal a challenging time. Having been refused exemption, Fred was handed over to the army and placed in the Non-Combatant Corps. He was posted to Aldershot the following month. Many men who accepted being placed in the NCC later found the conditions unacceptable. This may have been the case for Fred, who eventually found some aspect of his duties incompatible with his beliefs and refused to act on an order. In February 1917, he was court-martialed and sentenced to six months' hard labour at Wormwood Scrubs. While there, he appealed to the Central Tribunal, was reclassified as 'genuine', and assigned work of national importance under the Home Office Scheme.

Fred was one of eight conscientious objectors we know of in Glossop.